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Thursday, October 13, 2011

Ric Elias: 3 things I learned while my plane crashed

I'd been feeling a bit frustrated with my writing when I found this amazing video. If you can spare five minutes, it's worth it. Ric Elias was on Flight 1549 when the plane crash-landed in the Hudson River in New York in January 2009.

If you can't spare the time, I'll summerise: It's about discovering the things in life that truly matter. Ric Elias no longer postpones anything anymore because everything can change in an instant. He regrets letting his ego get in the way and the time he's wasted on things that don't matter with people who do matter. And he realised that above all things his family comes first.

His experience reminded me that life is short and that while agonising over every word is normal as a writer, fretting about pleasing everyone, worrying about getting it right and stressing about achieving 'success' isn't what I should be doing. First and foremost, I love to write so I'll just keep writing and enjoy the whole process.

If you had an experience like Ric Elias', what do you think you would change in your life?

I don't see how it couldn't change your life!Other events can change one's life. I'm not ashamed to say I didn't much care for people before I became a Christian. Now I know people are far more important than 'things' in life.

Something like that certainly would change your outlook on life. It's just so easy to take everything for granted and get hung up on petty issues. It's a shame it sometimes takes a life-altering moment like that to wake up.

It is so true. So often we don't prioritize the proper way. I find when I say wait a minute, it's never quite a minute, and sometimes it's just plain never. Missed opportunities become the dreams we end up missing out on.

I love stopping to consider these things. I try to live each day as if it's my last, sort of. No putting off til tomorrow..etc. Thanks for this reminder Lynda. Also great about your CPs. I missed that. I'm sure you're in good hands.

I love TED talks. I often get moments where I realise that I'm wasting time or that I could be doing more with myself. I think the big hit was when I read 'Yes Man' by Danny Wallace, and how a whole host of opportunities opened up for him just by losing his hesitancy. I need to be more like that.

You know, I listened to this and I thought about what I would change. I would be in touch with my family more, I would do more with my kids, things like that. Then I thought 'do I have to be in an almost fatal plane crash before I do those things?'

I guess the closest I can think of from my own personal experiences is the recent death of my sister. Even as her disability continued to debilitate her as she got older, she always took risks, always wanted to get out and about and do things and always wanted to live for the moment - even in her last months, her diary was full of what she planned to do. She was so unlike me who dithers and who lets fear and insecurities overwhelm!

Once I turned around and my baby was grown and I realized I had missed so many things. I began to downsize my life; learned to never say no to children, grandchildren and now a great grandchild when asked to be present.

This is a very powerful message, Lynda. I listened to it twice then played it for my husband. Ric's statement about the gift of being able to look into the future and then come back & change the way he was living his life, really stuck with me. It's not just about writing, although it is quite a motivator to stop putting things off, but it is a wake up call about how to live our lives. I will definitely challenge myself to be a better parent and to live without negativity.

Luanne, it is a shame it takes something like that to wake us up, but it's also a great opportunity to learn from someone else's experience so we don't have to go through it ourselves before we change.

Jessie, it does.

E R King, it is sometimes hard not the sweat the small stuff, so this is a great reminder.

Lee, yes, exactly. I'd like to avoid missed opportunities.

Read, indeed.

Rachna, those changes you mentioned are a work in progress. I don't think it can happen overnight, so its worth starting early.

I had a similar, altho not as dramatic, epiphany a year ago when my sister's husband suddenly died ... when I disappeared for a few weeks last fall. Last fall was so terrible with so many things going on, not a day goes by this fall that I'm not thankful for what I have.

Any type of shock is life changing. Wish more people would come to realize sooner. Life is very short. Be happy. Be you.

Touching. Our experiences with our family and our love...that's all we take with us. The rest is just a way to pass time, no matter how much we might enjoy it. :) I try to remind myself of that when I'm messing with social media.

You know, I was living in NYC when that plane went down. My hubby and I had a series of conversations about our focus in life while living there, and the truth is, we wouldn't change anything. Isn't that a nice feeling?Knowing you're living life to the fullest every moment of every day? (It tends to be exhausting though.)

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Welcome to Lynda R Young's blog. The content includes writing tips and some random meanderings. I'm an Aussie and proud of it. All the photos you see on my blog were taken by me unless otherwise stated.